Australian aborigines: names of peoples and their customs

The Australian aborigines are the descendants of what were the First people who lived in Australia. Their societies have remained in Australia over time challenging technological advances, European colonization and any other challenge towards modernization.

Australian aborigines are classified, together with the islanders of the Strait of Torres, such as the indigenous of the territories of Australia, Tasmania and nearby islands. In total, its population reaches about 2.4% of the total population of Australia today.

The aboriginal culture It is one of the oldest that still stay alive on earth. This was developed autarchically, which resulted in a wide range of languages ​​and cultures with common aspects.

Within aboriginal culture we can differentiate more from 400 Australian aboriginal peoples. Each of them located in a different geographical area and with their own cultural features. Next, we introduce you to the Australian aboriginal tribes or peoples Main:

• Koori and Guringai: They are located in the southwest of the country, Nueva Wales and Victoria, and as most of the peoples that will appear below, the Koori and Guringai tribes base their economy on hunting, cultivation and subsequent collection of fruits.
• Noongar: Originally divided into 13 different tribes, at present, most of the culture of the people of Noongar, located in the south of Western Australia, has been lost.
• Anangu: This town is located in the northern part of Southern Australia and in the adjoining of North Australia and Western Australia. It is a purely oral culture that still practice about 4,000 anangus living in small communities.
• Palawah: Located in Tasmania, this group has subdivisions. Unfortunately, most indigenous languages ​​of Tasmania were lost. However, efforts are being carried out today to rebuild one of the languages.
• Aunta: The arunta, stente, siege or Aranda are a tribe of the center-northern country that lives in the surroundings of the MacDonnell mountain range. The arunta are divided into 6 subgroups, which in turn are fractional into small clans talked by an authoritarian system focused on marriages between families or clans. Polygamy and widespread homosexuality also stands out from this group.
• Yolngu: The inhabitants of the Yolngu town live in the land of Arnhem, in the northeast of Australia. Some communities of this tribe have reconverted their economies previously based on land to the exploitation of the sea with the acceptance and use of specialized technology, such as Canoas, which have allowed them to improve their hunting activity in the sea.

Other Aboriginal tribes of Australia

• Murri: Australian aboriginal people located in the state of Queensland.
• YAPA: located in the territory of the central northwest.
• Yamatji: Located in Central Western Australia.
• Nunga: located in southern Australia.
• Wangkai: located in the golden fields of Western Australia.

Contrary to what the first Europeans were studied, Australian aborigines have spiritual beliefs. In fact, these beliefs, based on the time of dreams and several forms of Christianity, are essential in their daily life and social relations.

There is a huge Diversity of rites and cults and all groups share a common vision of the world. Instead of focusing on what is beyond death, aborigines focus on the “before”, what they call The sleep time or altjeringa.

The aborigines consider that it was during sleep when the landscape that they can contemplate today was formed. The trees, the stars, the lakes, the mountains, etc.; all formation of Nature was created by ancestral spiritual totemic beings as men-cans or women-people who lived in the age of sleep.

Aboriginal consider that the same spirits that reside in them, do so in animals, plants, lakes, rocks, etc., so man is not considered above any other being. When dying, the spirits abandon earthly bodies and return to their spiritual existence. Thus, for aborigines, everything is related to the natural environment and past and future generations.

These beliefs help these peoples to face the circumstances of life and to maintain a strong link with naturewhich forms the basis of his worldview and his work in it. Finally, it is important to highlight the sacred place of Australian aborigines: the rock formation of Ulurualso called Ayers Rock. This place is declared as a natural site of World Heritage since 1989 by UNESCO, and Cultural Site since 1994.

He aboriginal art Normally it is associated with sleep time, totemic representations and the storytelling. Female forms and X -ray art are used a lot, for example, where you can see the bones and organs of the beings represented.

It is carried out through a wide possibility of means and techniques:

• Rock engravings
• Fixed Stroke Technique
• Colored tips paint
• Bark paint
• Aerial landscape painting
• Leaf paint
• Sand paint
• Wood size
• Stone size
• Sculpture
• Ceremonial clothing

This art has evolved over the years to become contemporary aboriginal art. Australian aboriginal symbols used today have, in general and depending on the context, the same meaning in all Australian territories, although similar symbols in their monochrome may have a different meaning depending on the tribe where they are performed.

To be able to understand the Meaning of the symbols of Australian aboriginal peoples It is very important to pay attention to the context of painting, its history, its style, the region of origin of the artist and the use of colors, as with water, normally represented in blue circles.

If you want to learn more about this country in Oceania, we recommend reading this other post about the 10 rarest animals in Australia.

If you want to read more articles similar to Australian aborigines: names of peoples and their customswe recommend that you enter our category of indigenous peoples.